NIUSLETTER FOR AUGUST 2010

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1 NIUSLETTER FOR AUGUST 2010 ELIZABETH AND PATRICK-----BATTLE OF CUSTOM MEDICINES---LONELY PLANET--- NEW "GRANDSON"---SAND DIVER GOLD PLUS---HAPPINESS IS----HONIARA--- DIABETES MEDICINE??--- SAM AND CHRIS--WEATHER---HEADSTART Hi, Everyone, And another month draws to a close. The arrival of two absolutely delightful guests, Patrick and Elizabeth Imbert, started our month on a high note They settled right in here for a week of diving and relaxing. However, they did possess a mean streak, and along with my crew, vented it on me. I was FLAT on my back w/ worst flu and/or malaria. They delighted in returning from their dives and regaling me with stories of all they'd seen. I was down for 3 days- and my concerned crew started the "Battle of Custom Medicines". First it was Peter ( my engineer)- imploring me to drink his guaranteed charcoal remedy. When that didn't work, Evah, my house staff, presented me with a cup of boiled leaves picked from the tree out front ( they work well as a mask cleaner, so why not). Back comes Peter with a bottle of very precious purified holy water blessed by elders from Choiseul and passed down from generation to generation. I was to drink some and put some on my face, which I did, thanking him profusely. He left muttering something about gathering the skin of baby coconuts for me to chew on. Let me here interject that I had started a dose of Coartem, the current protocol for malaria that morning, just in case. But a true miracle happened. I started to get better. I turned the corner, began coming up, and never looked back. And I have no idea what cured me. The Coartem, charcoal, leaves, holy water or my body's fear of any more custom meds. Although I wasn't well enough to dive with Elizabeth and Patrick, I enjoyed many hours of visiting, sharing their life adventures and my own. They have posted the following review on Lonely Planet- and we thank them profusely. " We have just had the most amazing visit to Lisa at Solomon Dive Adventures (lisa@solomondiveadventures.com). The accommodation was about S$1,000 for both of us, including meals but it was the diving that was the highlight. This is a small establishment - the dives are all about what YOU want to do - how many you want to do in a day and what time. Lisa is phenominally experienced and her dive briefings will give you an insight on the rare things to find. Our guides, Bryan and Nate, were incredible and from all the diving we have now done in the Solomon Islands, from Gizo to Honiara, this has been the absolute best. Do not miss this spot, even given the transport challenges you may face!" Here's the link: readid= &messageid= # A Sunday evening walk took me to Kio to meet my new "grandson"- Maureen's little baby boy named Sheniel. Mom and babe doing well, and we enjoyed catching up on all the news, while the pups enjoyed harassing their mother cat. A note from Diane Nelson, Dr. Eugenie Clark's research assistant, requesting more

2 information on our sand diver find in May, sent us back to Treasure. We hunted and hunted, but could only find a very tiny group of juveniles. On a hunch, we went to the other end of our special area, Gold, which has another sloping sand bed ( their habitat), and we, again, struck gold on this moon-like landscape. There are hundreds of themnow identified as trichonotus elegans- Threadfin Sand Divers. My "research assistants" are very proud of their role in our discoveries. We know they were not there 6 months ago, and they are all sizes, so not a recruitment of babies. Did they blow in on the cyclone in March? We are truly indebted to Diane for her nudge. In 4 subsequent dives, this sandy area, with old logs and leaves for habitat, and almost no coral, has so far yielded 11 new species of fish for us, including Baldwin's Razor Wrasse. Of the 11, we've only been able to identify 5 from the books we have. The other 6 remain mysteries, and a few are featured in this month's photos. If anyone knows who they are, we'd be grateful for positive ID's. Those of you lucky enough to share a sunset from my deck will relate to this. Happiness is being curled up on my deck on a cool, windy evening, wrapped in a blanket ( yes, I'm acclimated) with 2 puppies in my lap, watching the wildly waving palm trees dancing against the pale evening sky framed in puffy clouds, with the surf breaking below, and the first big bats zooming overhead. Happiness is walking down our road as the dusk deepens, with fireflies (pinu pinu) creating a fairyland of magically dancing lights in the trees. Off to Honiara for a very quick 2- day trip for our second meeting of the World Bank Tourism Task Force. There have been so many studies done on the Solomons that have gone absolutely nowhere, but the World Bank/IFC staff in charge are determined to not let this happen with theirs. It was a good day's work, with the beginnings of establishing directions, goals and working groups. A brief meeting with Peter Ramohia at Nature Conservancy followed up on Karen Frutchey's turtle visit in May. Peter has promised to assist us in obtaining the necessary permits, and to come out here to train us in the handling of turtles for tagging, obtaining DNA samples, etc. and nesting protocol. On another evening stroll through the village, I bumped into Reliance, carrying 2 large brown "things". On closer inspection, they were live termite nests, the kind that are made on the trunks of trees. Curious, I asked what she was doing with them, and I share this for those of you with a medical or chemical background. She has a relative in Honiara with severe diabetes ( it is epidemic here). She had sores on her legs so painful she couldn't sleep at night. Reli was making a medicine for her. With the first doses she had sent, the woman reported the sores healing, the pain gone, she could sleep at night, and walk again easily. Preparation: cut the nests into small pieces, lay out on a plastic in the sun to kill the termites (her chickens were delighted with the unexpected feast). Wash them well. Boil them for quite a long time---cool thoroughly and strain. I couldn't get an adequate fix on the dose, but there's no question in my mind that the nests could well contain some powerful chemicals. She learned this from a Philipino who was working here in the Solomons. Enter Samatha Griffiths and and her fiance', Chris Pirie, journeying from the UK to

3 explore our end of the world. As I finish this, they are experiencing our amazing variety, in spite of high winds and big swells. They are definitely "good luck" charms, as we have already found 2 new goby species ( 1 un-identified) and new mantis shrimp with them. We are so very fortunate to have the 3 islands offshore. Although the ride out may be wet, once we get in the lee of an island, the water is flat and clear. More on their adventures next month. Which brings me to weather- people's favorite question!! My answer?? "Yes, we have it." and I ask people to look at the islands and tell me the predominate color. HMMMgreen? Yes, we do get rain, and we do get storms - some of them quite stunning- and they are quite unpredictable. But we are rarely shut out completely. Tradewind season ( now) means almost constant cooling breezes, which result in choppy surface water. I end this month on a somewhat sad note for me. I have had to (temporarily, I hope) curtail our Headstart Program ( pre-school and kindy for 3-6 year olds) and any new dive classes due to lack of funds. With money as tight as it is, I have had no choice but to put programs that are not income producing on hold. I hope and pray it is only temporary, and thankful that we have held on as long as we have. And I wish you all a great month- August- I remember in New England- fresh corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, Maine lobsters---yum. An E mail from my brother brought back heaps of memories. Which ever side of the equator you're on, and which ever season you're enjoying or enduring, as the case may be, I look forward to sharing our August adventures here with you. Love and hugs, Lisa Log onto "YouTube" and type in "Magic of Marovo" for a glimpse of our magical world! Thanks to Ed Pasini for adding music and posting. Lisa Choquette SOLOMON DIVE ADVENTURES Peava Village- Marovo Lagoon SOLOMON ISLANDS lisa@solomondiveadventures.com "Lose yourself in the adventure-find yourself in the richness".

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